Automobile hood latch mechanism



June l5, 1937., s. F. RUGGIERQ AUTOMOBILE HOOD LATCH MECHANISM Filed Jan. 18, 1934 Patented June 15, 1937 UNITED STATS ATENT QFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to an automobile hood fastening means of the type to prevent access to parts under the hood by unauthorized persons.

It has for one of its objects to provide a latch mechanism for this purpose which is simple, re-

liable and inexpensive in construction, and which is under the control of the car driver, so that when the doors of the vehicle are locked it is impossible for unscrupulous persons to release the latch mechanism and open the hood.

Another object of the invention is to provide simple and readily controlled means for eiecting the latching and unlatching of the hood from the drivers-seat.

In the accompanying drawing:-

Figure 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through the hood of an automobile showing my invention applied thereto. Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken in the plane of line 0 2 2, Figure 3. Figure 3 is a enlarged transverse vertical section taken on line 3 3, Figure 1. Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of the latchcontrolling element. Figure 5 is a cross section taken on line 5 5, Figure 4. Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Referring now to the drawing, I0 indicates a channel frame of an automobile, II the hood and I2 the dash or instrument board. The improved latch mechanism is applied to the opposite side walls of the hood but for the purpose of illustration it has been deemed suiiicient to show its ad-aptation to one of such walls.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention,

it consists of a vertically-swinging latch mem` ber or lever I3 pivoted intermediate its ends at I4 to a bracket I5 attached to the channel I and disposed inwardly of and adjoining the side wall of the hood I I for latching eng-agement with a stud or locking pin I6 secured to and projecting inwardly and horizontally from the hood side wall. This latch member is of substantially reversed S-shape in form, being provided at its upper end With a forwardly-facing hook Ii en gageable with the locking stud I6 in the closed position of the hood, and terminating at its lower end in a rearwardly-facing arm I8 to which a cable or like exible connection I9 is attached for swinging the latch member into and out of locking engagement.

Carried by the bracket I5 is a flat spring 2li which bears against the latch member I3 and serves to normally urge it to swing in a direction to release the same from the locking pin I6,

it being necessary when latching the hood to swing the latch member against the tension of the spring. To limit the swinging of the latch member to its open position, I provide a stop or abutment 2l which is attached to the bracket (Cl. 292--129l I5 and which is disposed in the path of the hooked arm IT of the latch member. This abutment also serves as a iiXture to which the spring 20 is secured, as shown in Figure 2 and 3.

The latch member I3 is operated from the dash or instrument board l2 or from any other convenient part of the vehicle readily accessible from the drivers-seat. The preferred means for thus actuating and controlling the latch member consist of a sliding rod or plunger 22 guided in a casing or tting 23 secured to the instrument board I2 by a clamping screw 24 or the like and having its forward end connected to the cable I9 while its rear end is provided with a knob or handle 25. If desired, between the latch I3 and the actuating plunger 22, the cable may pass around suitable guide rollers 26. In order to hold the actuating plunger in its operative latched position, the casing 23 is provided with a bore 21 disposed eccentric to the axis of the plunger and xed to the latter is a cam or eccentric 28 which in one radial position thereof shown by full lines in Figure 4, is adapted to freely slide in the bore 21 and which in another position thereof shown by dotted lines in the same figure is adapted to frictionally bear against the bore to resist movement of the plunger out of its position in which the hood is latched. When the actuating plunger is turned to release the eccentric from frictional engagement with the bore 2i, the spring 2B automatically swings the latch member I3 to its released position, thereby exerting a pull on the cable I9 and drawing the plunger forwardly to the position shown by dotted lines in Figure 1 and full lines in Figure 4. When it is desired to latch the hood, the plunger is drawn rearwardly to swing the latch member into locking engagement with the hood-bearing pin IB, after which the plunger is turned a fraction of a revolution to bring the eccentric into frictional engagement with the iixture-bore 27, thereby positively retaining the hood in a closed, latched position.

I claim as my invention:-

An automobile hood-latching mechanism, com'- prising a bracket, a substantially inverted Seshaped latch member pivoted to said bracket and terminating at its upper end in a latch hook and at its lower end in an actuating arm, a stop element disposed on said bracket and adjacent its pivot for limiting the movement of the latch member to. its released position, a spring applied to said stop element and in bearing contact with said actuating arm for urging the latch member to its released position, and actuating means operatively connected to the arm of said latching member for controlling its latching and unlatching movements.

SALVATOR F. RUGGIERO. 

